Cheshire East Council aims to introduce a new planning document, setting out the council’s proposals for mitigating flood risk, harnessing rainwater capture, and living with changing weather patterns.
The guidance seeks to reduce the risk of flooding and harm to people and property by encouraging appropriate design measures in new developments. It also recognises the environmental, health and wellbeing benefits that the presence of natural water can bring to the borough – whether it’s canals and rivers, ponds and lakes, or man-made water infrastructure within new developments.
A four-week public re-consultation seeking the views of residents, businesses and those involved in new development, on a new supplementary planning document on sustainable urban drainage systems SuDS started yesterday.
The document, if approved, seeks to provide greater clarity to developers, landowners, communities, and decision-makers on the council’s approach to securing sustainable drainage systems in future developments, to relieve pressure on the traditional drainage network and improve the social, environmental and economic quality of new development.
This supplementary planning document will help to inform planning decisions in the future and guide developers towards sustainable water management solutions.
SuDS can take many different forms, such as green living walls and roofs, permeable surfaces, ponds, more green spaces, and rain gardens, where foliage and plants help soak up rainwater and slow its flow into watercourses and drainage systems. Narrow man-made channels and open gullies, running through new developments, could also be used to manage heavy rainfall and reduce the risk of flooding.
Sustainable urban drainage systems can help to increase resilience to flash-flooding when severe bursts of heavy rainfall overwhelm traditional sewerage and drainage systems. These episodes are often linked to climate change and are becoming more frequent in the UK.
Further information on the council’s environment strategy can be found at: http://moderngov.cheshireeast.gov.uk/ecminutes/documents/s107954/2.%20Appendix%20A_CEC%20SuDS%20Guide.pdf
To take part in the consultation please visit: https://cheshireeast-consult.objective.co.uk/kse/folder/29414
For a link to the original article which has been written by Cheshire East Council, please click here.
